How to care for camellias (tips from flower enthusiasts) "Flower enthusiasts share the dos and don'ts of camellia care"

How to care for camelliasMany novice flower enthusiasts don't know how to care for camellias. Some experienced flower friends have summarized some experiences. The experiences mentioned in this article are not immutable. During the maintenance process, adjustments should be made according to the local climate and cultivation environment to care for them well.1. Soil preparation:Before camellias arrive home, the soil needs to be prepared. It is often mentioned that the soil for camellias should be loose, breathable, water-retentive, and rich in organic matter. But how to achieve this? The新手's view is that the soil ingredients should be simple and not too complex. Beginner flower friends always think that adding various nutrient materials will make the camellias absorb nutrients quickly and grow robustly. However, absorbing water and nutrients requires vigorous roots. Therefore, the camellias we buy need to have their roots cared for first. When the roots are vigorous, everything else is easy. The white fleshy roots of camellias are not adaptable to heavy fertilization, so new camellias should use simple soil to promote root growth. The novice's soil preparation method is: weathered red sand or yellow sand, honeycomb coal slag, pine needles, and edible fungi residue, using local materials and never buying them.2. Pot selection:The best pots are unglazed clay pots, which are now difficult to find. You can look for old unglazed pots at nurseries. If you can't find unglazed pots, you can buy coarse purple sand pots or plastic pots. If using coarse purple sand pots, you can use a glass drill bit and a hand drill to make several holes around the pot for better aeration. In fact, once the soil is well prepared, aeration and water permeability are not issues. Large seedlings should be planted in large pots, and small seedlings in small pots, leaving about 5 centimeters of space around the roots after planting.3. Packaging:The packaging before transportation mainly concerns the seller, but the buyer should remind the seller to pack it securely, keeping the seedlings fixed in the box without movement, and using thick cardboard boxes that are not too soft. The roots should be covered with some soil, more in high temperatures and less in low temperatures, but remember, the roots should be semi-dry, never too wet, as it can cause root rot.4. Shipping:Shipping is a crucial step. The temperature should be around 20 degrees Celsius or between 10-20 degrees Celsius, not higher than 25 degrees and not too low. High or low temperatures can affect the survival and recovery after planting. A temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius has its pros and cons. The advantage is that it promotes new root growth after planting and does not affect the germination the following year. The disadvantage is that high temperatures can cause root rot during transportation, and after planting, the evaporation rate is high. If the roots cannot recover their water absorption capacity in time, the leaves can easily fall off, leading to withering and death.5. Root washing:Not all camellias need to be root-washed, but some must. Camellias from Zhejiang and Yunnan are generally grown in red soil, which is suitable for root growth. However, the roots need to be washed because the red soil becomes compacted during transportation, making it difficult for new roots to grow and for the soil to absorb water. Before washing the roots, soak them in a bucket of water, and rinse with a faucet without breaking the soil blocks to avoid root damage. If the camellias are picked up from a nursery without being shipped, root washing may not be necessary. Root washing is a liberation of the roots, promoting root growth. For camellias from Zhejiang and Yunnan, which are more adaptable, root washing is not a problem. However, for camellias from Fujian, which are grown in light substrates, it is recommended to wait for half a year before washing the roots due to their poor adaptability.6. Soil preparation:This is a crucial step. Simple soil, coal slag (soaked, dried, and crushed), and pine needles are not mixed all at once for all seedlings. The soil preparation ratio should be tailored to each camellia's characteristics to create a loose, breathable, and water-permeable soil mix.7. Potting:The size of the pot has been mentioned before. First, hold the camellia with one hand and sprinkle simple soil around the roots with the other hand as much as possible. After the roots are covered with soil, pot the plant. Place large pieces of charred coal slag at the bottom of the pot, then add some prepared soil, place the camellia, fill the soil, and gently shake the pot to settle the soil without damaging the roots. After potting, water the plant with the mud water used to wash the roots.8. Watering and fertilizing:Watering when the soil is dry is easy to understand but difficult to execute due to the vast climatic differences across China. Camellias like water but are not tolerant of waterlogging. During the maintenance period, water when the topsoil has become loose, but not when it has cracked. As long as the soil mix is sufficiently water-permeable, it's fine to water more. Fertilizing should be done sparingly, using soybean soak water diluted in a large bucket of water once a month, except during the sprouting period and in winter.9. Common mistakes:Many flower friends add various nutrient materials to the soil, which is not good for new root growth. It's better to keep it simple. Don't rush for camellias to bloom; wait until the second year after the seedlings are well-grown. If there are too many flower buds without leaves, it indicates a root problem. Root washing, cutting off black roots, removing flower buds, and replanting in simple soil are necessary.The above sharing on how to care for camellias (flower friend's experience) is for reference by green plant enthusiasts, hoping to solve your problems in green plant and flower management.